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I used to read about countries where it was a common practice to pay bribe money to be given a job, and think how awful that was. Now I live in a country that

I used to read about countries where it was a common practice to pay bribe money to be given a job, and think how awful that was. Now I live in a country that buries its youth in debt that can't be discharged through bankruptcy, to pay for an increasingly ineffective education, to get a job almost anyone could do, that lists higher education as a requirement when it really doesn't have to. If you zoom out to the big picture, it's almost as if employment in the US is becoming a pay-to-play system.

Jach 10y ago
For your first bit, do you mean things like fathers paying some shop owner some money to give their sons a chance at a job over some other kids that went through a hiring process, or do you mean things (still going on) like politicians backing certain regulations that just so happen to mightily benefit the corporation they become a highly paid member of when they lose their reelection or retire? Pay-to-play, spending money to make money, has usually been the rule even if you're born rich. The trick is always on how to spend less money than other people at your level to make the same or more -- your required piece of paper, while still more expensive than it used to be, isn't unavoidably crippling-debt expensive, and so with a little forethought you can get in the game with a lot less expense than some of your peers. If basic income can somehow work economically we might turn into a free-to-play system, I don't know if that would actually be better overall though.
- thaumasiotes 10y ago
  >> I used to read about countries where it was a common practice to pay bribe money to be given a job > For your first bit, do you mean things like fathers paying some shop owner some money to give their sons a chance at a job over some other kids that went through a hiring process, or do you mean things (still going on) like politicians backing certain regulations that just so happen to mightily benefit the corporation they become a highly paid member of when they lose their reelection or retire? I assume he's talking about neither of those, but rather the common practice of buying a job for yourself. For example, you might go to a highly-placed English functionary with a big bag of cash and purchase a post as customs inspector for a port somewhere in the Empire. Historically this was more the norm than the exception in colonial Europe. (Fun fact: the customs inspector position was generally a lot more expensive than notionally better jobs like "governor" (also for sale). That's because the customs inspector was ideally placed to take bribes himself.)
Spooky23 10y ago
>Now I live in a country that buries its youth in debt that can't be discharged through bankruptcy, to pay for an increasingly ineffective education, to get a job almost anyone could do, that lists higher education as a requirement when it really doesn't have to. You need to screen for at least a two year degree to get employees who are functionally literate for both reading and writing of moderate complexity. There's a real steep capability slope in terms of education and information worker qualification. Most high school graduates or GED folks without specific education lack a good broad understanding AND lack vocational training. A previous employer had a specific mentorship program that had really good results with at-risk youth, but that required substantial investments in time and $.

Jach 10y ago

For your first bit, do you mean things like fathers paying some shop owner some money to give their sons a chance at a job over some other kids that went through a hiring process, or do you mean things (still going on) like politicians backing certain regulations that just so happen to mightily benefit the corporation they become a highly paid member of when they lose their reelection or retire? Pay-to-play, spending money to make money, has usually been the rule even if you're born rich. The trick is always on how to spend less money than other people at your level to make the same or more -- your required piece of paper, while still more expensive than it used to be, isn't unavoidably crippling-debt expensive, and so with a little forethought you can get in the game with a lot less expense than some of your peers. If basic income can somehow work economically we might turn into a free-to-play system, I don't know if that would actually be better overall though.

thaumasiotes 10y ago
>> I used to read about countries where it was a common practice to pay bribe money to be given a job > For your first bit, do you mean things like fathers paying some shop owner some money to give their sons a chance at a job over some other kids that went through a hiring process, or do you mean things (still going on) like politicians backing certain regulations that just so happen to mightily benefit the corporation they become a highly paid member of when they lose their reelection or retire? I assume he's talking about neither of those, but rather the common practice of buying a job for yourself. For example, you might go to a highly-placed English functionary with a big bag of cash and purchase a post as customs inspector for a port somewhere in the Empire. Historically this was more the norm than the exception in colonial Europe. (Fun fact: the customs inspector position was generally a lot more expensive than notionally better jobs like "governor" (also for sale). That's because the customs inspector was ideally placed to take bribes himself.)

Spooky23 10y ago

>Now I live in a country that buries its youth in debt that can't be discharged through bankruptcy, to pay for an increasingly ineffective education, to get a job almost anyone could do, that lists higher education as a requirement when it really doesn't have to. You need to screen for at least a two year degree to get employees who are functionally literate for both reading and writing of moderate complexity. There's a real steep capability slope in terms of education and information worker qualification. Most high school graduates or GED folks without specific education lack a good broad understanding AND lack vocational training. A previous employer had a specific mentorship program that had really good results with at-risk youth, but that required substantial investments in time and $.